Menai is a leafy, family-oriented suburb in southern Sydney about 29 km south of the Sydney CBD, in the Sutherland Shire local government area; the name comes from Menai Bridge in Wales, and the area was renamed from Bangor to Menai in 1910. It is a comparatively new suburb — gazetted in 1973 and developed mainly from the early 1980s — so nearly all homes are modern four-bedroom brick houses with double garages, and the region records one of Australia's highest home-ownership rates at over 81%. At the 2021 census it had 10,419 residents, 78.6% born in Australia. Domain describes it as a 'bush-facing pocket on the outskirts of the Shire' popular with families wanting suburban space near the Alfords Point bridge corridor.
At a Glance
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Region | Sutherland Shire |
| Council (LGA) | Sutherland Shire |
| Postcode | 2234 |
| Distance to Sydney CBD | Menai is about 28–29 km south of the Sydney CBD. Driving to the CBD typically takes around 45–60 minutes depending on traffic via Menai… |
| Median house price | $1,785,000 (median house price, past 12 months, realestate.com.au Menai suburb profile, retrieved Sep 2026); YIP puts the house median at ~$1,740,000 and a buyer's-agent tracker at $1,798,086 — consistent mid-2026 spread of roughly $1.74–1.80M (mid-2026) |
| Median unit price | $1,095,000 |
| Typical rent | ~$950/week median house rent and ~$850/week median unit rent ; a separate tracker put median house rent near $976/week in mid-2026 |
Transport
Menai has no railway station; public transport is bus-based, with services running mainly along Menai Road (the suburb's main arterial, which continues through Bangor to Sutherland). U-Go Mobility routes 961 and 962 connect the Menai/Bangor area to Illawong, Alfords Point, Barden Ridge, Padstow, Bankstown, Sutherland, Kirrawee, Gymea and Miranda, and Metrobus M92 runs between Sutherland and Parramatta via Bankstown, Padstow and Menai (Wikipedia; Metrobus (Sydney) Wikipedia). The nearest train stations are Sutherland on the T4 Illawarra line and Padstow on the T8 Airport & South line, both served by connecting buses.
Schools
Menai Public School — NSW government primary school (K–6), the suburb's local public school (NSW Department of Education). Holy Family Catholic Primary School — Catholic systemic primary (K–6) in Menai. Aquinas Catholic College — Catholic secondary college (Years 7–12) on Allison Crescent, Menai. Government secondary students from Menai generally attend Menai High School, which is located just outside the suburb in the immediately adjacent suburb of Illawong.
Shopping & Amenities
Menai's shopping centres cluster along Menai Road near the community buildings: Menai Marketplace features a Woolworths supermarket, a Big W discount department store and specialty shops including Bakers Delight, with Menai Library located nearby; Menai Metro (Allison Crescent) is the dining/restaurant precinct with professional suites; and Menai Central (Carter Road) comprises larger bulky-goods stores including supermarkets, liquor, pet and homewares outlets. The Menai Community Centre and community buildings sit beside the Marketplace.
Parks & Outdoors
Parc Menai — a well-maintained Sutherland Shire park with shaded picnic areas, a children's playground, half-court basketball and a skate park. The suburb sits against bushland on its western and southern fringes toward Lucas Heights and Barden Ridge — Domain calls Menai a 'bush-facing pocket' — and it has been affected by bushfires on several occasions, including the 1994 eastern seaboard fires and the 2017–18 season. Menai Hawks FC represents the suburb in the Sutherland Shire Football Association.
Property Market
The median house price in Menai was around $1,785,000 (median house price, past 12 months, realestate.com.au Menai suburb profile, retrieved Sep 2026); YIP puts the house median at ~$1,740,000 and a buyer's-agent tracker at $1,798,086 — consistent mid-2026 spread of roughly $1.74–1.80M (mid-2026). See our full Sydney property price map for how the suburb compares across the city. Menai is a built-out 1980s-era suburb of mostly owner-occupied four-bedroom brick houses — home ownership over 81%, among Australia's highest — so the market is dominated by detached houses with few apartments. Median estimates cluster tightly around $1.74–1.80M for houses and ~$1.1M for units depending on tracker and sales window. Housing development here was mostly complete by the 1990s; today's activity is largely knock-down-rebuild and infill rather than new estates.
New Developments
Menai is a largely built-out suburb: development since its 1973 gazettal and 1980s build-out has been residential infill and knock-down-rebuild of its now 40-year-old housing stock rather than new greenfield estates. Commercial activity centres on the evolution of the Menai Road retail cluster — Menai Marketplace, Menai Metro and Menai Central — which serves Menai and the surrounding Menai Valley suburbs. The suburb's main infrastructure landmark nearby is the Alfords Point bridge corridor and Bangor Bypass (completed 2005) that links the area to the wider road network.
Jobs & Local Economy
Retail and services in Menai's own Menai Road centres — Menai Marketplace (Woolworths, Big W), Menai Metro and Menai Central — provide local employment. Many residents commute to commercial and retail hubs in the Sutherland Shire (Sutherland, Miranda) and to the Sydney CBD via the T4/T8 rail corridors and M92 Metrobus, or across the Alfords Point bridge to workplaces in the Bankstown/Parramatta corridor (Wikipedia; Metrobus (Sydney) Wikipedia).
Nearby Suburbs
Alfords Point, Bangor, Barden Ridge, Holsworthy, Illawong, Lucas Heights
Sources & method
Researched 4 September 2026 from named public sources — census and government records, transport authorities, council and planning documents — plus published sales data. Where sources disagree on a figure, the guide says so rather than picking one.
Sources cited in this guide:
Corrections are welcome — if something here is out of date or wrong, tell us and we will fix it.
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